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·2 min read·Pelandri Team

Gold vs Platinum vs Silver: standard health-plan cost shares (reference 2024)

health-insurancemetal-categoriesactuarial-share

Platinum has the highest standard insurer share among these categories: 90%. Gold: 80%; Platinum: 90%; Silver: 70%. These are population-level actuarial shares, not percentages guaranteed on your bills.

Compare the same basis

Every column uses the API reference year 2024, standard actuarial values, and no Silver cost-sharing reductions. No age, income, ZIP, medical condition or personal information was submitted. The calculation table reports the original API fractions; multiply a fraction by one hundred to express it as a percentage.

Choose using your actual plan terms

The highest standard insurer share is the sole ranking objective. Premiums, deductibles, provider networks, medications and individual eligibility are not compared; this ranking does not select the best plan for you. Standard Silver is shown without cost-sharing reductions. If eligible, Silver extra savings can change the comparison; check Marketplace eligibility and actual plan terms before choosing.

Explore your situation

Open the Pelandri calculator. The calculator link carries this comparison and attribution, but the deployed form does not apply those parameters automatically. Enter your own profile there. Availability and correctness of personalized plan results are not established by this reference comparison. Confirm current plans and eligibility through the Marketplace.

More Pelandri comparisons. Read the standard category definitions.

Calculation provenance

One live defaults response supplies all columns, matched by key and reference year. Only bronze, silver, gold and platinum actuarial-value constants are admitted; premium, subsidy, employer-plan and simulated cost tables are excluded. The API labels these constants cms_av and reference year 2024. Their standard values were corroborated against HealthCare.gov on 2026-10-07. The API provides no collection/update date or empirical sample size; request time is not data vintage. Sample size UNAVAILABLE. Inspect the API defaults. Response hashes and retrieval times are retained separately in the calculation record.

Calculation data

Platinum has the highest standard insurer share among these categories: 90%. Gold: 80%; Platinum: 90%; Silver: 70%. These are population-level actuarial shares, not percentages guaranteed on your bills.

Exact calculation inputs
InputValue
reference_year2024
Same shared inputs, one live API receipt per option
MeasureGoldPlatinumSilver
Standard insurer actuarial share (fraction)0.80.90.7
Distance from winning value (fraction)0.100.2
DecisionAlternative valueWinning valueAlternative value

Winner: Platinum. Objective: maximize. Margin to next option: 0.1 fraction. Assumption: Highest standard insurer actuarial share only; no premium, personal cost, quality or best-plan recommendation. Standard Silver excludes cost-sharing reductions.

winner
platinum
objective
maximize
metric
insurerShare

Source and assumptions

  • Compare standard metal categories using the same reference year. Values are actuarial shares for a standard population, not the share of any individual bill or a prediction of personal spending.
  • One live defaults response supplies all columns, matched by key and reference year. Only bronze, silver, gold and platinum actuarial-value constants are admitted; premium, subsidy, employer-plan and simulated cost tables are excluded.
  • The highest standard insurer share is the sole ranking objective. Premiums, deductibles, provider networks, medications and individual eligibility are not compared; this ranking does not select the best plan for you.
  • Standard Silver is shown without cost-sharing reductions. If eligible, Silver extra savings can change the comparison; check Marketplace eligibility and actual plan terms before choosing.
  • The API labels these constants cms_av and reference year 2024. Their standard values were corroborated against HealthCare.gov on 2026-10-07. The API provides no collection/update date or empirical sample size; request time is not data vintage.
Source record 1

Gold. Data layer: Pelandri plan_defaults, corroborated standard metal constants only. Source: cms_av; HealthCare.gov standard categories. Vintage: API reference year 2024; collection/update date unavailable. Sample size: UNAVAILABLE.

Fetched: 2026-10-09T20:15:06.854Z

Source updated: Unreported

Cache: Unreported

Response SHA-2560f137c4918c9fae03c4df6d3a917d5b7465035bd5ab3d6ce79fd2cdcc415ca13
Source record 2

Platinum. Data layer: Pelandri plan_defaults, corroborated standard metal constants only. Source: cms_av; HealthCare.gov standard categories. Vintage: API reference year 2024; collection/update date unavailable. Sample size: UNAVAILABLE.

Fetched: 2026-10-09T20:15:06.854Z

Source updated: Unreported

Cache: Unreported

Response SHA-2560f137c4918c9fae03c4df6d3a917d5b7465035bd5ab3d6ce79fd2cdcc415ca13
Source record 3

Silver. Data layer: Pelandri plan_defaults, corroborated standard metal constants only. Source: cms_av; HealthCare.gov standard categories. Vintage: API reference year 2024; collection/update date unavailable. Sample size: UNAVAILABLE.

Fetched: 2026-10-09T20:15:06.854Z

Source updated: Unreported

Cache: Unreported

Response SHA-2560f137c4918c9fae03c4df6d3a917d5b7465035bd5ab3d6ce79fd2cdcc415ca13

Questions about this comparison

Which category has the highest standard insurer share?

Platinum has the highest standard insurer share among these categories: 90%. Gold: 80%; Platinum: 90%; Silver: 70%. These are population-level actuarial shares, not percentages guaranteed on your bills.

What is held constant?

Every column uses the API reference year 2024, standard actuarial values, and no Silver cost-sharing reductions. No age, income, ZIP, medical condition or personal information was submitted.

Does this identify the cheapest plan for me?

The highest standard insurer share is the sole ranking objective. Premiums, deductibles, provider networks, medications and individual eligibility are not compared; this ranking does not select the best plan for you. Standard Silver is shown without cost-sharing reductions. If eligible, Silver extra savings can change the comparison; check Marketplace eligibility and actual plan terms before choosing.

How can I explore my own situation?

The calculator link carries this comparison and attribution, but the deployed form does not apply those parameters automatically. Enter your own profile there. Availability and correctness of personalized plan results are not established by this reference comparison. Confirm current plans and eligibility through the Marketplace.

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